Frequently Asked Questions

USA’s Summer Start is a six week, seven credit summer session that is scheduled from June 10 - July 26, 2024. The program gives students a jump-start on college, and provides them with the opportunity to learn more about campus and engage in academic success activities during the summer term.

Enjoy a more relaxed summer classroom environment with small class sizes. Students learn "in community", sharing the same group of classes together. Get to know your way around campus and make new friends before fall term. Depending on your academic standing in Summer Start, you will end the summer with 7 credit hours towards a degree which is about half a semester. Also, students who complete Summer Start academically successful with have the opportunity to apply to scholarship through JagSPOT earlier since they end the summer with a college GPA.

Students receive an invitation to start during the summer as part of the admission process.

Summer Start classes will run from June 10 - July 26, 2024. Students living on campus may move in on Friday, June 7 between 2:00 - 4:00pm. All students participate in Summer Start Onboarding on Sunday, June 9 from 3:00 - 6:00pm.

Residence Halls are open during the summer term for registered students. Summer Start students are also welcome to live at home. Pending review of student account balances, participants who have a fully complete Fall 2024 housing application will be permitted to move over to their fall room assignment at the conclusion of the summer session at no additional charge. 

Summer Start students will register for seven credit hours. Depending on their major and plans for post-graduation, students will be automatically registered to be placed in the Math Learning Community or the Writing Learning Community for Summer Start.

Math Learning Community  (MLC)	Writing Learning Community (WLC)
MA 100: Essential to Precalculus	EH 101: English Composition I
CA 100: Introduction to Communications	IS 100: Global Issues
CAS 190: Connect and Reflect	CAS 190: Connect and Reflect

 

These classes are structured to help you succeed during your time here at South. MLC houses majors and post-graduate endeavors that require math above MA 113 (Precalculus Trigonometry). This learning community focuses on building skills to be successful in various STEM degrees, business degrees, Pre-Health, Pre-OT, and/or other related majors.

WLC focuses on building strong foundations in writing and analysis. Students who major in English, Communications, Exercise Science (Not PT or OT route), international studies, education, nursing, or any related major will be placed in this learning community. 

 

 

Successful students attend all class meetings, submit assignments on time, engage in learning activities, participate in other campus life opportunities, and connect with faculty and/or peer leaders. By developing good academic habits, good grades and success in college will follow.  Summer Start will give students the opportunity to nurture these skills to grow into successful students here at South. 

We expect all students to succeed. If you are ever uncomfortable with your performance, please connect with us. The Center for Academic Excellence is available for individual or group tutoring, and peer leaders are available during and after class. Professional advisors will meet with you to plan for fall coursework and are available for coaching appointments. We will work with you to strategize your next steps. 

Students take 7 credit hours over 6 weeks. Each week, you can expect to be in class from roughly 9:00am to 1:00pm. You will probably have an additional 4-5 hours daily of reading, writing, and other classwork. We don’t recommend a full-time job during Summer Start, and we would suggest caution in working more than 20 hours per week during the 6 week program. Sleep and exercise are critical for strong performance, and we emphasize total wellness for student success. 

Please submit your test scores for any advanced placement or international baccalaureate credit with your materials to Admissions.

In order to receive credit for your Dual Enrollment courses, you must send the Office of Admissions an official transcript from the institution through which you took dual enrollment courses. You must have received a minimum grade of a “C” (2.0) or better in order to satisfy your requirements. 

You can access and send your ACT scores through ACT.org 

You can access and send your SAT and AP scores through CollegeBoard.org. 

Feel free to email records@southalabama.edu with questions regarding transfer credit to The University of South Alabama. 

*If you have not sent your test scores or Dual Enrollment Credits yet, make sure to do this as soon as possible and let your advisor know what you have coming in. You can always show your Academic Advisor a screenshot of a test score or an unofficial transcript for the time being.

Summer Start runs from June 10th through July 26, 2024. Classes are held Monday through Friday from 9:00AM - 12:30PM, except for holidays recognized on the Academic Calendar. Attendance in all classes is mandatory during the Summer Start Program. 

Summer Start students attend Southbound Orientation for Summer Session on June 10, 2024 after their first day of class. Once you are admitted to Summer Start, you will receive an invitation to Southbound Summer Orientation.

You will learn about advising and technology for registration during your FYE course (CAS 190) in Summer Start. Then, You will have an individual meeting with your advisor to discuss your schedule and select your courses for the fall.

You may have a car on campus. For more information, visit Parking Services.

Payment for the Summer Start program can be handled by enrolling in the University Payment Plan, utilizing federal student aid through FAFSA or making an out of pocket payment to the Office of Student Accounting. A summer payment plan is available, with the first payment due on May 22, 2023. 

Students should file the 2023-2024 FAFSA (using 2021 tax information) at https://fafsa.gov to be considered for federal student loans and/or grants at a half time enrollment status for Summer Start. 

For additional information, you are welcome to contact Lauren Rhodes at lrhodes@southalabama.edu or make a Virtual Appointment.

Yes! In order to be considered for federal aid for Fall 2024/Spring 2025/Summer 2025, you will need to complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA (using 2022 tax information) at https://fafsa.gov.

Contact Erick Romero, the Summer Start Coordinator, at eromero@southalabama.edu or at 251-341-4966.

Or contact Dr. Nicole Carr, in Student Academic Success, at 251-460-7103 

The Center for Academic Excellence is open throughout the summers, and we offer tutoring, peer mentoring, advising, and other student services. The Rec Center will be available as well; it offers indoor and outdoor pools, as well as fitness classes. Your student ID will provide access to services. 

At South, every student needs a device suitable for using Canvas, our learning management system, and other university platforms.  These programs and resources work best on a laptop (or desktop) computer.